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Read To Me
Read the next two selections. Then choose the best answer to each question.
The Battle of Trenton & Samuel Clemens, Better Known as Mark Twain
The Battle of Trenton by Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt
1 In December 1776 ,
the American Revolution was failing .
The once eager troops were now weary and tired .
The American soldiers had been called suddenly from their workshops and farms .
They were not prepared for a long war .
Now they were scattered ,
and many of the soldiers began returning to their homes .
2 The power of England's vigorous army had begun to show . Washington had been fighting stubbornly during the summer and autumn . And yet , New York had returned to the hands of the British . Then Fort Lee and Fort Washington had been lost , and finally , his army had retreated to New Jersey .
3 December 2nd , Washington was at Princeton with three thousand ragged soldiers . British General Howe felt that the American army was not able to fight . He doubted it could even survive the winter . It would soon be dissolved . General Howe went to New York , to stay for the winter .
4 The British general had 25 ,000 well-trained soldiers , so his decision seemed wise . The American army had left the field of battle . He was sure that no more volunteers would come out , despite Washington's appeals . All that remained of the American Revolution was the little army and the man who led it .
5 Yet Washington did not despair . He sent messages in every direction , looking for troops . Nothing that he could do was left undone . Boldly , he planned an attack against the British . It was a desperate attempt , for he had only 6000 men , and even these were scattered . Yet he hoped that by his own skill and courage , he could win .
6 He saw that his only chance was to attack the British suddenly . It must be done in secrecy and perfect judgment . It would also require great courage .
7 On Christmas Eve , when the world was feasting and rejoicing , Washington set out . The British were enjoying themselves in their comfortable quarters . Washington and his men crossed Delaware through the floating ice . His boats were rowed by the same strong fishermen-turned soldiers . The crossing was successful , and he landed about nine miles from Trenton .
8 It was bitter cold , and snow drove sharply into the faces of the troops . One commander , named Sullivan , sent word that his soldiers' guns were wet . "Tell your general ," Washington said to the messenger , "to use the bayonet , for the town must be taken ." When they reached Trenton , it was daylight . Washington , at the front of the line , swept down the road . As he drove back the Hessians , he heard the shout of Sullivan's men as they charged in from the river .
9 There was some fighting in the streets , but the attack was so strong and well planned that it was useless . Colonel Rahl , the British commander , was killed as he rushed out to rally his men . In a few moments it was all over . Washington took a thousand prisoners , and this part of the British Army was destroyed .
10 A famous painting shows Washington crossing the Delaware at the head of his soldiers . He is standing up in the boat , looking forward through the storm . It doesn't matter whether the work of the painter shows exactly what happened or not . The courage and determination which the artist shows on Washington's face are all true . We may be sure that the man who led that well-planned but desperate attack was at that moment one of the most heroic figures in history .
Samuel Clemens , Better Known as Mark Twain by Mary Stoyell Stimpson
1 John Clemens , Samuel's father , was a farmer and businessman in a Missouri town called Florida . He had bought seventy-five thousand acres of land when he was much younger . He paid just a few cents an acre . He expected to be a millionaire when that land went up in price . John Clemens was a good man and very smart , but he was not the least bit merry . His children never saw him laugh once in his whole life! Think about it!
2 Mrs . Clemens did not like to have any one around when she was working around the house . The six children spent the days roaming through the country , picking nuts and berries . When it was night , and they had had their supper , they would crowd around the open fire . Ned , the farm helper , would tell them many wonderful stories .
3 Uncle Ned was a famous story-teller . When he described witches and goblins , the children would look over their shoulders as if they half expected to see the strange creatures in the room . All these stories began , "Once upon a time ," but each one ended differently . Sam admired Uncle Ned's stories so much that he could hardly wait for the evening to come .
4 Sam was sent to school when he was five . He certainly did not like to study very well but did learn to be a fine reader and speller . His teachers said he ought to train himself for a writer , but it did not seem to him that there was anything so noble in this world as being a riverboat pilot . And , he loved the great Mississippi River better than any place he had known or could imagine .
5 Sam's father died , whispering : "Don't sell the Tennessee land! Hold on to it , and you will all be rich! " After his death , Sam learned the printer's trade . He worked with his brother until he was eighteen , and then he told his mother that he wanted to start out for himself in the world .
6 He went to St . Louis . He meant to travel , and as he earned enough by newspaper work , he visited New York , Philadelphia , and was on his way to South America when he got a chance to be a pilot on the Mississippi River . While he was learning this trade , he was happier than he had ever been in his life . If you want to know what happened to him at this time , you must read a book he wrote called Life on the Mississippi River . He wrote a great many books and signed whatever he wrote with a strange name-Mark Twain . This was an old term used by pilots to show how deep the water is where they throw the lead .
7 Mr . Clemens had a wife and children of whom he was very fond . As he made much money from his books , they were all able to travel to foreign countries . And the old Tennessee land his father had bought never brought any wealth to the Clemens family . It was sold for less than what the taxes cost!